


Before the Devil Comes Collecting

by MercurialComet



Category: The Arcana (Visual Novel)
Genre: Contracts, Deal with a Devil, Demon Deals, Drabble, Gen, Loss of hope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 05:30:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 328
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14301831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MercurialComet/pseuds/MercurialComet
Summary: They know he isn’t close at all. And if he’s smart (which he isn’t), he knows that asking for more time is only delaying the inevitable.





	Before the Devil Comes Collecting

They watched, waiting as the deadline grew ever closer. A month away now, and it looked like the man wasn’t going to be even close to completing his end of the bargain. His hair is frazzled as he paces around his room, muttering angrily to himself before he pulled out the mirror.

 

They could hear his pleas in their mind, a faint whisper, the same as the other unfortunate people stupid enough to bargain with them.  _ “Please, just a bit more time. I’m so close to figuring this out!” _

 

They know he isn’t close at all. And if he’s smart (which he isn’t), he knows that asking for more time is only delaying the inevitable.

 

They grin.  _ “Sure, you get another month, but it’ll cost you.” _

* * *

 

Giving Lucio the plague was the smartest idea they ever had, in their own humble opinion. Making him miserable by his own negligence and making it even harder to finish his side of the contract? Perfect.

 

But they were always perfect, this was par for the course.

 

Lucio seems scared now, understanding that it’s become that much more impossible to complete the task, a lovely memory of Sisyphus flashing through their mind as he struggled to grab the mirror and whisper.

 

_ “Is it too late to ask for more time?”  _ His voice sounds dejected, as if he knows the answer. Which he does.

 

_ “No.”  _ They grin as they feel his resolve shatter.  _ “It’s ironic isn’t it? I get your soul on the anniversary of when it first met the world.”  _ The grin grows wider, into a smirk that used to be on the Count’s face long before they introduced themselves into his life.

 

_ “It is ironic.”  _ The dejection is palpable in his mental voice, and it’s delicious to the taste buds on their tongue. They calmly make this room a little brighter, showcasing all the luxuries surrounding him.

 

They make sure he knows his gilded cage well before the Devil comes collecting.


End file.
